A themed puzzle again today. I remembered most of the themed answers, but a couple were completely new to me. Thanks Gozo.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | POTATO |
Old rubbish in river (6)
|
| O (old) TAT (rubbish) inside PO (the River Po in Italy) | ||
| 4 | MUSHROOM |
Enough space for sentimentality? (8)
|
| MUSH ROOM would be enough space for sentimentality | ||
| 9 | MARROW |
Last part of anagram indicator (6)
|
| anagraM (last letter, last part of) then ARROW (indicator) | ||
| 10 | KOHLRABI |
Two chancellors at one (8)
|
| chancellor Helmut KOHL and chancellor RAB Butler (Richard Austin Butler, aka Rab) with I (one) | ||
| 12 | SCALLION |
Low, mean wretch doesn’t take the rap (8)
|
| rapSCALLION (low, mean wretch) missing RAP | ||
| 13 | CARROT |
Reason for an MOT failure? (6)
|
| cryptically, CAR ROT might be a reason for an MOT failure | ||
| 15 | NEEP |
Before the wedding, called Prince (4)
|
| NEE (before the wedding called, maiden name) and P (prince) | ||
| 16 | RUNNER BEAN |
Athlete with disqualification, having swallowed ecstasy (6,4)
|
| RUNNER (athlete) with BAN (disqualification) contains (having swallowed) E (ecstasy) | ||
| 19 | COS LETTUCE |
Demented soul, etc etc (3,7)
|
| anagram (demented) of SOUL ETC ETC | ||
| 20 | SPUD |
Touch of salt and some dessert (4)
|
| Salt (first letter, a touch of) and PUD (some dessert) | ||
| 23 | ORACHE |
Top organiser’s hunting dog (6)
|
| Organiser (first letter, top) and RACHE (hunting dog) | ||
| 25 | BEETROOT |
Defeat, we hear, England’s captain (8)
|
| sounds like “beat Root” (defeat England’s captain) – Joe Root, captain of England cricket team | ||
| 27 | CUCUMBER |
Copper with dog accepted award (8)
|
| CU (copper) and CUR (dog) contain (accepted) MBE (award) | ||
| 28 | RADISH |
Artist – good-looking lass (6)
|
| RA (royal Academician) and DISH (good-looking lass) | ||
| 29 | SHALLOTS |
Attempts to include everything (8)
|
| SHOTS (attempts) contain (to include) ALL (everything) | ||
| 30 | NAVEWS |
French lawyer appearing in press reports (6)
|
| AV (Av. – Avocat, French lawyer) inside NEWS (press reports) – turnips | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | PI-MESON |
Source of specific nuclear force poorly expressed in poems (2-5)
|
| anagram (poorly expressed) of IN POEMS | ||
| 2 | THREATENS |
Bullies her, as tent collapsed (9)
|
| anagram (collapsed) of HER AS TENT | ||
| 3 | TROLLS |
He leaves the baps for fishes (6)
|
| The missing HE then ROLLS (baps) | ||
| 5 | UFOS |
Little green men are regularly buffoons (4)
|
| every other letter (regularly) of bUfFoOnS | ||
| 6 | HALF-ACRE |
Field measurement involving hare and calf (4-4)
|
| anagram (involving) HARE and CALF | ||
| 7 | ON AIR |
Suave young socialite is lost, broadcasting (2,3)
|
| debONAIR (suave) missing (…is lost) DEB (young socialite) | ||
| 8 | MOISTEN |
Wet month in Paris? Somewhat persistent towards the end (7)
|
| MOIS (month in French, in Paris) then TEN is found inside (somewhat, towards the end) persisTENt | ||
| 11 | LOCUSTS |
Cut loss – destroyed plague insects (7)
|
| anagram (destroyed) of CUT LOSS | ||
| 14 | KNOCKER |
Critic who’s at the door? (7)
|
| double defnition | ||
| 17 | EXPLOSIVE |
Like jelly and pineapple, say (9)
|
| like gelignite (jelly) or a grenade (pineapple) | ||
| 18 | BECHAMEL |
Sauce celeb cooked with meat in (8)
|
| anagram (cooked) of CELEB containing HAM (meat) | ||
| 19 | CHOICES |
Options for desserts leading chef dropped (7)
|
| CHOc-ICES (desserts) missing Chef (first letter of) | ||
| 21 | DITCHES |
Abandons at the roadside? (7)
|
| double/cryptic definition | ||
| 22 | STRATA |
A floozie’s upset rock bands (6)
|
| A TART’S (floozie’s) reversed (upset) | ||
| 24 | ACCRA |
Bill’s new car. Capital! (5)
|
| AC (account, bill) then anagram (new) of CAR – capital city of Ghana | ||
| 26 | SEPT |
One tribal division – but over half a dozen in France (4)
|
| SEPT is 7 in French (over half a dozen) |
Gozo is good company as ever with today’s themed offering though I didn’t twig said theme until 19a. Of these, my favourite was 12a but 17d was a close second. Needed to check 1d – thankfully, an anagram – and 30a, my LOI, caused some head-scratching. Not so ‘choc ices’ which keeps cropping up currently. Veggies are better for you anyway!
Thanks to Gozo and PeeDee for parsing.
Just for proper French spelling, 8D would be MOIS (month in French, in Paris) then TEN is found inside (somewhat, towards the end) persisTENt
Thanks Dom, it seems obvious now you mention it. MOI would be me not month. Fixed now.
NAVEWS indeed
Otherwise OK
Defeated by ORACHE and NAVEWS, both unknown as were parts of the wordplay, so no hope. I also missed the parsing of SCALLION – very good. Still I was chuffed to be able to get and parse KOHLRABI. Not sure if I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating one though.
Thanks to PeeDee and Gozo
Most enjoyable . I also did not twig theme until 19a. Never heard of PI MESON but was fixated on PO (polonium). Also NAVEWS are not on the menu here.
Got my start with cos lettuce having –S -E-T—. From then on the theme clues came faster than the downs. However had never heard of ORACHE or NAVEWS and could not get there even with all the crossers! ThanksPeeDee and Gozo.
Thanks, Gozo and PeeDee. [Just starting garden seeds, so this was a pleasant theme to solve!] Started with down clues, got CUCUMBER as first across clue, then MUSHROOM and theme was evident. LOI was NAVEWS, strange to me as to many of you, for which I needed the blog. Tried to put “capers” or “taters” there but wouldn’t parse. Had to look up NEEP and ORACHE.
In a recent crossword I was defeated by “swede,” not knowing it was a kind of turnip. Today NEEP and NAVEWS caused my downfall. In addition to British rivers and slang words for drunk, it seems like I need to learn more about root vegetables to complete these puzzles. ORACHE was another failure, not knowing “rache” was a hunting dog. Still I liked this crossword; I guessed the theme early with POTATO. Favourites included RADISH, SHALLOTS, and ON AIR. Thanks Gozo and to PeeDee for the blog.
Hi Tony – over here NEEPS for a Swede (Rutabaga) is mainly used in Scotland, especially in the phrase “neeps and tatties” (swede and potatoes). The Swedish Turnip got abbreviated different ways north and south of the border. We are still waiting to hear from someone who has heard of a NAVEW!
[PeeDee @10: Thanks. I sometimes make a mash of turnips and potatoes. I’ll start calling it “neeps and tatties.”]
Another defeated by ORACHE (for which I needed a wordfinder) – not knowing the vegetable or the dog and NAVEWS – not knowing the vegetable or the french abbreviation. No wonder I couldn’t parse CAPERS for 30A! Otherwise all good fun, but clueing obscure words with obscure words in the wordplay is a no-no for me.
johninterred @12. Took the words right out of my mouth. Good fun as you say although I didn’t care for the definition in 5d. I know it is common to refer to a vehicle via its inhabitants but I still don’t particularly like it.
Defeated by NAVEWS and ORACHE. I think it might be time for someone to suggest they were just fillers that fitted with the crossers and the theme…?
I am with you, George Dawes in wondering if they just fitted both the grid and the theme. For the record I had an unparsed CAPERS. Still it was enjoyable, so thanks Gozo.
Those who didn’t see the theme must have missed the bold print above the clues.
Thanks for the explanations PeeDee – I really needed them for 30a.
Very enjoyable – thanks Gozo.
Was defeated by navews and sept (had capers and sect) so thanks to PeeDee for the blog.
Thanks to Gozo and PeeDee. With Google’s help I did get ORACHE (which I vaguely remembered) but NAVEWS defeated me.
Gave up at 60% and glad I did so.
I sometimes enjoy Gozo, but often not. The problem is, there are often a few answers beyond pretty much anyone. Today is no exception. I can’t be bothered to waste my time figuring out which are the impossible clues.
Life is too short
Having started with some trepidation.. 19ac came straight after 16ac which confirmed the theme early on.. didn’t help with the obscures mind.. was aware of avocat but that didn’t help much either.. so mostly good fun..
Thanks Gozo n PeeDee
Apart from the unknown, and for me unworkable out, NAVEWS this was much more straightforward than I expected from a Gozo/Masquerade puzzle with theme being apparent from the first clue. Congratulations to PeeDee for getting NAVEWS and thanks for the rest of the blog and to Gozo for the fun.
Never heard of ORACHE (or RACHE) and NAVEW before, but got them both from a word wizard using the crossers. Couldn’t parse SCALLION because RAPSCALLION was also new to me. So, completed it, but with a little help.